What are the expats like in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Chuck Bolotin - Best Mexico Movers
Quite a bit of how people answer the question about what the expats are like in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area has to do with their view of other human beings in general. The best answer I’ve heard to th is question came from an expat in this exchange:
"How are the expats in the Lake Chapala / Ajjic area?"
“How are the people where you live?”
(Whatever the answer; it doesn’t matter.)
“That’s...
Quite a bit of how people answer the question about what the expats are like in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area has to do with their view of other human beings in general. The best answer I’ve heard to th is question came from an expat in this exchange:
"How are the expats in the Lake Chapala / Ajjic area?"
“How are the people where you live?”
(Whatever the answer; it doesn’t matter.)
“That’s exactly how the expats will be here.”
That said, we can make some generalizations about the expats in the Lake Chapala and Ajijic area.
The first is that, all of them chose to live here, which makes them more adventurous and perhaps even a bit braver than people who never live abroad. Given this perspective on life, they will tend to have more unusual experiences such as traveling more extensively and perhaps living in several different places, which will tend to make them more interesting. In a typical day last week, I spoke with a famous and retired Ford model, the first Playboy Playmate in Europe, and a member of the Czech Olympic water polo team.
I would suspect that about 40% of the expats in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area are Americans, about 40% are Canadians, and the rest are from other places, with a fairly surprising (at least to me) large percentage from central Europe (Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, etc.)
Politically, they are quite diverse, although judging from the most outspoken of expats, you would think that the expats here were all Trump-hating Liberals. This is not the case. My suspicion is that the political views here are about evenly matched with those in the US or Canada, with perhaps a slight tilt to the left.
I have found zero evidence in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area of the Ugly American; a brutish, loud, self-centered lout. The reality is quite the opposite. The vast, vast majority of Americans and all the other expats here here are exceptionally fine people, respectful of the local culture, reserved, generous, thoughtful, and caring. There are countless charities and volunteer activities. Also, Mexicans providing services to expats (house keepers, gardeners, restaurant workers, manicurists, etc.) will tell you that they love their gringo clients and, as a general rule, prefer them over Mexican clients.
As a rule, expats living in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area are much friendlier and accepting than their countrymen living “back home,” and this goes for Americans, Canadians, Europeans, or any others. Perhaps it’s because “we are all new here” or that expats just tend to be more interesting and interested people. You will tend to find less of the rigid cliques and class divisions here as you would in your home country.
Living abroad offers an enhanced opportunity for personal “re-invention” and you will find many expats pursuing life goals, learning experiences or hobbies that they had to put off when they lived in their home country, but can and are pursuing here in the Ajijic area. Part of the reason is that it costs less to live here, and the expats can easily afford household and gardening help, which frees up their time, energy and attitude for more interesting pursuits. Another reason is that many are retired, either because they can now afford to be, or they would have been retired in any circumstance. This free time affords the expats to be friendlier and engage in more and deeper interpersonal relationships than otherwise, which many, many do. You will see expats engaging in lots of communal activities, whether it’s hiking, taking ukulele classes, or just enjoying the weather and golfing or playing tennis.
Expats tend to really enjoy their lives here, which makes them easy, fun, and interesting to be around.
Is the electricity reliable in Portugal? Are there blackouts or brownouts in Portugal?
Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting
We rarely have blackouts in Portugal; electricity is very reliable here, throughout the country. I am not aware of any place here that has an issue with electricity.
In the Algarve, however, there could be a shortage of water during the summer months because the population in the Algarve increases tenfold between June and September.
(Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portuga,pictured.)
We rarely have blackouts in Portugal; electricity is very reliable here, throughout the country. I am not aware of any place here that has an issue with electricity.
In the Algarve, however, there could be a shortage of water during the summer months because the population in the Algarve increases tenfold between June and September.
How much do healthcare and medical services cost in Nicaragua?
Frank Martínez
We have a couple of new hospitals here in Managua where they have state-of-the-art equipment, very well-trained doctors, and the cost to go to these hospitals is really cheap. We have two hospitals here in Managua that have started bringing in people from the USA for regular check ups here in Nicaragua. Many people come down here for medical attention and pay less money compared to what they would usually pay in the US. Many Americans come down to Managua because of the...
We have a couple of new hospitals here in Managua where they have state-of-the-art equipment, very well-trained doctors, and the cost to go to these hospitals is really cheap. We have two hospitals here in Managua that have started bringing in people from the USA for regular check ups here in Nicaragua. Many people come down here for medical attention and pay less money compared to what they would usually pay in the US. Many Americans come down to Managua because of the low cost of medical care and some of them can even use their health insurance down here, depending on the coverage of their insurance policies.
When I move to Belize, should I use a regular phone line, a cell phone, Skype, Magicjack, or something else?
Rachel Jensen - Grand Baymen
If you’re running a business in Belize, opt for landline phone service. If not, stick with the apps that are either free or cost-efficient.
There are a handful of programs including Skype, Google Voice, WhatsApp, MagicJack, and other resources that make communicating with those back at home painless and inexpensive! These programs work on computers or Smart devices that are connected to Wi-Fi.
If you plan to stay around for some time, try a...
If you’re running a business in Belize, opt for landline phone service. If not, stick with the apps that are either free or cost-efficient.
There are a handful of programs including Skype, Google Voice, WhatsApp, MagicJack, and other resources that make communicating with those back at home painless and inexpensive! These programs work on computers or Smart devices that are connected to Wi-Fi.
If you plan to stay around for some time, try a pre-paid cellphone or Belize SIM Card. They are relatively inexpensive (cost about USD$30) and will provide you with a means of local contact in Belize.
How good are the medical centers, hospitals and health clinics in the Pedasi, Azuero, Panama area, and how close are they?
Robert Shapland
Some of the answers I'm seeing here are outdated our outright incorrect. I'd like to update, clarify, or correct some.
1. Several mention the new hospital in Pedasi. As of May 2016, it is still not in operation. It was completed some time (more than a year) ago, but my understanding is that it was one of former President Martinelli's infrastructure projects and funding for equipping and staffing the hospital was not put in place. My hopes are...
Some of the answers I'm seeing here are outdated our outright incorrect. I'd like to update, clarify, or correct some.
1. Several mention the new hospital in Pedasi. As of May 2016, it is still not in operation. It was completed some time (more than a year) ago, but my understanding is that it was one of former President Martinelli's infrastructure projects and funding for equipping and staffing the hospital was not put in place. My hopes are that current President Varela will do something about that, but that's just a hope. I have no information as to whether it is even being considered. In the meantime, we do have the public clinic, open 24 hours a day, which we have been to one time for an earache. The female physician my wife saw spoke a little English and was very nice. Cost was $2! Another hard to believe item is that our local pharmacy is open until 11 p.m. most days.
2. One post said Coronado is only two hours from Pedasi. I'd say it is at least 3 and that would require exceeding posted speed limits.
3. Another post said Las Tablas is onlly 20 minutes from Pedasi. More like 40, again breaking the speed limit.
What's the best strategy for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore?
John Ohe - Hola Expat Tax Services
Being a tax accountant and tax adviser and having a range of different types of clients who are expats, what I would say about wealth protection, asset protection, asset growth, and portfolio management is that there are challenges for Americans when they have a lot of assets abroad.
There's a fair amount of filing requirements that are needed in the reporting of financial accounts. In addition to that, there are potential penalties involved when you...
Being a tax accountant and tax adviser and having a range of different types of clients who are expats, what I would say about wealth protection, asset protection, asset growth, and portfolio management is that there are challenges for Americans when they have a lot of assets abroad.
There's a fair amount of filing requirements that are needed in the reporting of financial accounts. In addition to that, there are potential penalties involved when you invest in foreign mutual funds. We generally do not advise US expats to plant a significant amount of their portfolio assets (not including real estate) in foreign countries.
There are three main reasons for this. Number one, the reporting requirement gets very complicated.
The second reason, depending on the country you're in, is that there could be potential country risks. Certain countries are not as stable. For example, if you look at the country ratings on the Internet, the US government has a triple-A rating. Other countries in Western Europe also have very high ratings.
When you get down to Third World nations, you don't know the political and country risks that are involved. If, for example, you have a lot of assets in Venezuela, things could get very ugly. You can lose access to those assets or there could be massive devaluation of those assets. There's a fair amount of country risk that you should be cautious about before you put a big chunk of your estate outside of the US.
Third, we always say, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." There's a very good reason for that. When we talk about a portfolio for expats, most expats have money in the local country because a large part of their expenses are local.
When you manage a portfolio, you want to have a good mix of asset types. This goes for international exposure as well. There's a combination of, "How much country exposure do I want to have?" along with the additional dimension to a general portfolio mix in a purely US-based portfolio, where you may have a portion in large caps, small caps, long-term bonds, short-term bonds and money market-like assets that are much more accessible and more liquid.
Excerpts of an interview with Mark Leonard, June 29, 2016
Chuck: Thank you for joining us, Mark. Your posts have always been so genuine and colorful. Please tell our readers how you happened to come to Belize.
Mark: It’s all because of the Rotary Club.
I was living in Northern California when a friend in my Rotary Club went to Belize on a contract and came back saying that Belize is looking for economic development assistance, so I went down...
A fine mist began to fall in San Miguel de Allende on a cool November morning as we maneuvered our fully packed, big white van on a familiar cobblestone road in Los Labradores, up to the smiling guards we had come to know by name. The gate was raised and through it we went, returning our protectors' well wishes and hearty waves in kind. Onto the highway, we turned east, to places we had never been.
A couple months ago someone told us they saw a Sloth across the street in the woods. OK... Cool; I've never seen one. Well, a week ago while walking our dogs we saw one hugging a tree about ten feet off the ground.
Yesterday (again walking the dogs) a man was standing still looking up into the trees and voila......if we looked hard and long we saw a Sloth all curled up on a fairly small branch at least 40 feet up. The guy said he saw it at the same place...
Quite a bit of how people answer the question about what the expats are like in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area has to do with their view of other human beings in general. The best answer I’ve heard to th is question came from an expat in this exchange: .png)
We rarely have blackouts in Portugal; electricity is very reliable here, throughout the country. I am not aware of any place here that has an issue with electricity.
Some of the answers I'm seeing here are outdated our outright incorrect. I'd like to update, clarify, or correct some. .JPG)
Being a tax accountant and tax adviser and having a range of different types of clients who are expats, what I would say about wealth protection, asset protection, asset growth, and portfolio management is that there are challenges for Americans when they have a lot of assets abroad. 
A fine mist began to fall in